1990 130 HP Corroded Steering Arm

[TMARLIN10]

I have a 1990 130 HP ETLD that has low hours (<250) and runs great. There are, however, two spots on the outboard that are very corroded: the steering arm and the lock that holds the motor in its fully tilted state.

The tilt lock is no big deal but the steering arm has me worried. It is corroded to such an extent that I worry about it failing while on the water.

Has anyone ever replaced one of these parts on their motor? If so, how involved is the repair?

I had a non-Yamaha mechanic tell me that it would be such an expensive repair that I should just repower. Is this true?

Thank you in advance for your input.

[Hamfisted]

You have to pull the powerhead off. That'll run $500-$750. Then the part (p/n 6E5-42510-03-EK ) is about $200. Then the incidental parts you'll end up replacing will be another $200-$300. So you could end up with around $1000 in just that one little repair. The motor isn't worth more than that on a trade-in. So if you really like the boat it's attached to it might be a good time to repower. But if you do the repair remember to replace the shift shaft and upper motor mounts while you're in there. Those are the big repairs that require pulling the powerhead for. Actually now that I think about it you'll probably have over $1500 in the repair. But the 130 does have some value if the powerhead is good otherwise, since Yamaha stopped making the 130 two stroke. There's always someone looking for a powerhead and lower unit. Maybe you could sell it on Ebay.
But for now you're probably better off just using it and inspecting it before each trip. After '93 those pieces were made out of stainless.


Mike...... Miami, FL